JULY 26, 2021 – U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), through its Remote Technology Kernel (RTK) technology, is supporting the U.S. Marine Corps with an autonomy solution for its latest innovation to integrate ground based, anti-ship weapons into its arsenal—a remotely operated, unmanned vehicle.
The Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary (ROGUE) Fires vehicle system is a missile launcher mounted on an unmanned variant of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) chassis from Oshkosh Defense. In combination, this technology makes up the USMC’s developmental Ground-based Anti-ship Missile (GBASM) system, enhancing its capabilities for a competitive edge.
The autonomy software on the ROGUE Fires vehicle is adopted from a version of the government-owned autonomy stack, RTK, currently in use on GVSC’s Expedient Leader Follower (ExLF) and Autonomous Ground Resupply (AGR) programs, said Bernie Theisen, GVSC Robotics Division Chief.
GVSC’s ExLF and AGR programs, commonly referred to as Leader Follower, involve a manned lead vehicle that leads a number of unmanned robotic vehicles in convoy to minimize human Soldier driving in performing Army missions including ground resupply.
“These programs equip existing military ground vehicles with scalable robotic technology through the integration of modular kits, common interfaces, and a common architecture,” Theisen said.
While the Marines are using the ExLF iteration of GVSC’s software for the ROGUE Fires program, Theisen said the software will have the ability to be seamlessly updated to GVSC’s RTK, which includes additional behaviors developed under the AGR program.
“RTK is the common autonomy maneuver software across the DoD that enables expedient and affordable integration on current and future ground robotic solutions,” Theisen said.
By Jerome Aliotta